Keith Law’s Top 100 prospects for 2020

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

https://theathletic.com/1627163/2020/02/24/keith-laws-top-100-prospects-for-2020/

Keith Law’s Top 100 prospects for 2020

2. Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Adell’s second full pro season started out with ten weeks on the injured list due to a sprained ankle and strained hamstring, but when he finally returned he dominated Double A in a 42-game stint, hitting .308/.390/.553 and earning a promotion to Triple A on August 1. Adell is one of the best athletes in the minors, a plus runner with explosive hands who covers a ton of ground in center and has the arm strength to play anywhere in the outfield. He has 70 raw power, with great extension through the ball, even though he often seems like he’s getting his hands started late — thanks to that tremendous hand acceleration. There’s some swing and miss here, as you’d expect given how hard he swings, although his strikeout rate in Double A was just 22.5 percent and jumped to nearly one in three in Triple A. The Angels have been aggressive with Adell since he signed, but he’s responded to the challenge, at least until he hit Triple A as a 20-year-old. I don’t think he’s ready for the majors right now, but he’s not far off, and his near-term upside is a high-average hitter with 30-homer potential and above-average to plus defense in center field.

39. Brandon Marsh, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Marsh is one of the best athletes in an Angels system that is loaded with athletes, but his baseball skills are also quite advanced, which separates him from just about everyone else the Angels have other than Jo Adell. Marsh has a good swing and projects to get to power, while his approach is already advanced — he finished third in the Southern League in OBP, behind two non-prospects at least three years his senior. He made a swing adjustment in the second half, getting taller in his stance so he has more leverage through contact and lifts the ball more, and hit six of his seven homers after the midpoint. He’s a 60 runner and better than that as a pure baserunner, and plays an above-average center field. If the late-season power is indicative of what’s to come, he could be a .300/.400/.475 guy who plays in the middle of the field with defensive and baserunning value, which kind of sounds like a star.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I know we were throwing comps around a few months back. Does Marsh sound like Edmonds in that wrote up, or just me?

[tdawg87]

Chili Davis in the 90's.

[rafibomb]

Keith Law also has Jeremiah Jackson on his list of 9 prospects just outside the top-100

 

Here's his write-up on Jackson:

Quote

 

Jeremiah Jackson, SS/2B, Los Angeles Angels

Jackson’s season was something of a shocker, as the middle infielder went to the advanced rookie Pioneer League at 19 and led all short-season players across six leagues in home runs with 23, four more than any other player. He also struck out in a third of his plate appearances, so there’s clearly work to be done in his approach. Jackson’s bat speed and wrist strength are exceptional, however, enough to believe the power he’s shown is real. He elicits some Javy Báez comparisons, which is easy to see given how fast his bat is and how big some of his swings and misses are. He can overstride and open up his front side too much, which pulls the bat head out of the zone too quickly, something the Angels have tried to work with him on. While he’s athletic enough to stay at shortstop, he needs more consistency on routine plays; he’d almost certainly be above-average to plus at second if he has to move. He’s a very high-beta prospect, as Báez was — if Jackson hits enough to get to the power, he’s a star given his position, but an approach this noisy means there’s a decent chance he never gets there and ends up an extra infielder or less.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by rafibomb

[failos]

@Chuckster70 Do Wood and Adell still belong in the same sentence?